Giant tortoise rescued from Northern California brush fire

AMADOR COUNTY, Calif. —A 200-pound tortoise was rescued from a wildfire that destroyed much of an Amador County resort.

CalFire firefighters went back into a resort area off of Highway 49 to retrieve the tortoise named Abe after the so-called Sand fire died down in the early morning hours.

The owners of the tortoise were forced to leave the 20-year-old reptile behind when flames raced through the Rancho Cicada retreat center, destroying homes and cabins Friday afternoon. More than 40 guests and workers at the retreat were able to escape without injury. They did have to leave behind their belongings.